Method of treating lubricating oils



Patented Sept. 25, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF TREATINGLUBRICATING OILS tion of Delaware No Drawing.

Application November 5, 1928,

Serial No. 317,485

7 Claims. (Cl. 196-151) This invention relates to improvements in amethod of treating lubricating oils.

Heretofore red oils have often been produced by blending bright stockwith the neutral or pale oil stock. The addition of the bright stockincreases the carbon residue and also increases the cost of production.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a process oftreating lubricating oils to produce from a neutral stock an oil whichhas a red tint with a greenish fluorescence by utilizing the coloringmatter contained in a cracked petroleum residue to impart the color tothe neutral oil stock.

The method of procedure consists in thoroughly agitating a quantity of acracked petroleum residue or fractions of same (for example, a residuefrom the well known Dubbs cracking process) with a quantity of neutralstock and then subjecting the mixture after thorough agitation to anacid treatment, followed by a contact treatment with filter clay. As aresult of this procedure the lubricating oil is given a red tint and agreenish fluorescence. Sincethe coloring of the oil results from thecolor bodies obtained from the cracked petroleum residue there is noappreciable modification of the normal viscosity or the flash andfirepoint of the oil.

As a detailed method of procedure it has been found preferable to firstdraw of! the cracked residue of a petroleum cracking process into aseparate vessel or container while hot and to subject the residue to adistillation to drive off the lighter fractions. This prevents loweringthe flash and fire point of the finished lubricating oil when theresidue is mixed with the neutral stock. The residue stripped of thelighter fractions is then introduced while hot into a body of neutraloil stock of two to three times its volume and the mixture is thoroughlyagitated. This mixture is then introduced into the main body of neutraloil stock to be treated so that the amount of the residue in the mainbody of neutral stock will vary between the limits of 0.10% to 10% byvolume. The mixture is then given an acid treatment followed by acontact treatment with filter clay.

The term cracked petroleum residue as used here, and as understood inthe art, refers to a particular product, the residue from a crackingprocess operating on crude petroleum or topped crude.

It will be understood, therefore, that the method here disclosed is onethat may be very economically operated and that the result of theprocess is a lubricating oil having a satisfactory color and which oilis lower in carbon content than the red oils made under many of thepresent known processes. The introduction of the coloring matter asabove pointed out does not appreciably modify the normal viscosity nordoes it change the flash or fire point of the oil.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of treating lubricating oil which consists in mixing andagitating neutral oil stock with a cracked petroleum residue, and thensubiecting the mixture to an acid treatment, and then subjecting themixture to a contact treatment with filter clay.

2. The method of treating lubricating oil to impart thereto a red tintand a greenish fluorescence which consists in mixing with a neutral oilstock a quantity of a cracked petroleum residue, and then finishing theoil by an acid and contact treatment.

3. The process of treating a neutral oil stock which consists in addingthereto a quantity of a cracked petroleum residue from which the lightfractions have been stripped, thoroughly agitating the mixture, andfinishing the oil by an acid and contact treatment.

4. The continuous process of producing a lubricating oil having a redtint and greenish fluorescence which consists in'agitating a quantity ofneutral oil stock with a cracked petroleum residue while hot, and thenfinishing the oil by a contact treatment with filter clay.

5. The continuous process of producing a lubricating oil which consistsin combining a quantity of neutral oil stock in the unfinished statewith a cracked petroleum residue, the volume of the cracked petroleumresidue being 10% or less of the total volume, and then finishing theoil by a contact treatment with filter clay.

6. A method of treating lubricating oil which consists in mixing andagitating neutral oil stock with a cracked petroleum residue, and thensubjecting the mixture to an acid treatment, and then subjecting themixture to a neutralizing treatment.

7. As a new article of manufacture, lubricating oil containing a crackedpetroleum residue, said cracked petroleum residue having color bodiesimparting a green fluorescence to the oil and producing no appreciablemodification of the normal viscosity or the flash and firepoint of theoil.

WILLIAM O. KEELING.

